


Farewell to the Lad

by Lucky107



Series: A Red, Red Rose [7]
Category: Hell on Wheels (TV)
Genre: 19th Century, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Infidelity, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 17:10:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9501812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky107/pseuds/Lucky107
Summary: The flowers are withering and wilting away on their stems.[Season 2]





	

**Author's Note:**

> Flora MacDonald's Lament - RACHEL MiLNE - 2008

Bonnie Mae doesn't know that she's ever seen anything more troubling than the way Eva sits over that mound of fresh prairie soil with dry eyes and talks to the wind.  All the flowers are withering and wilting away on their stems, but Eva remains persistent in her vigil.

Today, as twilight sets on the camp, Bonnie arrives at the foot of the hill.  She watches Mr. Toole's young—and very pregnant—widow without saying so much as a word.  Silence blankets the hillside for just shy of an hour before Bonnie finally works up the courage to make the climb and she takes a seat next to the mourning mother-to-be.

She's not even there a minute when Eva confesses tearfully, "I was just terrible to 'im, Bonnie."

"Nonsense," Bonnie insists.  The autumn air carries with it the winter's chill.  "What happened to Mr. Toole—that wasn't _you_ , Eva.  There was somethin' very wrong deep inside that man an' no amount of could'ves or would'ves can change that.  Only one to blame is Mr. Toole 'imself."

"You don't..." Eva's voice fades and, as if responding to an interruption, she carefully rests her hand over her swelling belly.  "You don't understand.  Me and Elam, the baby—"

But Gregory Toole made it impossible _not_ to understand.

He came by the saloon each night to drown himself in the pity of the patrons, drinking himself under the table and running his mouth off all about it.  Eva, the witch woman with the enchanting curse who was sent to ruin his life, and her darky lover.  Demons - succubus and incubus, just lying in wait.  And the _baby_ —but all of that couldn't be further from the truth.

Bonnie can see it in Eva's tired eyes: even after everything Mr. Toole did, she never stopped loving that fool.  If she was really as terrible a wife as she paints herself out to be, she wouldn't be withering away alongside the last of the autumn flowers.

Awakened from her momentary lapse of silence by rough a nudge, Bonnie is embarrassed by her painfully obvious distraction.  "I—" But her hand is resting on Eva's plump belly and she realises with a start that what she felt wasn't a nudge at all.  The baby is kicking.

A thoughtful moment of silence passes between them as they marvel at the miracle of life that succeeds the tragedy of death before, so soft that it might have just been the wind, Eva whispers, "I'm scared, Bonnie."


End file.
